Book Review--Young Orson: The Years of Luck and Genius on the Path to Citizen Kane

By KC on Mar 8, 2017 From Classic Movies

Young Orson: The Years of Luck and Genius on the Path to Citizen Kane
Patrick McGilligan
Harper, 2015
The universally acclaimed Citizen Kane (1941) alone would have assured Orson Welles a solid place in entertainment history. That the 25 years leading up to that unique cinematic achievement were fi... Read full article

The 75th Anniversary Of CITIZEN KANE

By Dan Day Jr. on May 3, 2016 From The Hitless Wonder Movie Blog

This week marks the 75th anniversary of the theatrical premier of CITIZEN KANE. I don't think I need to tell you that this is one of the most renowned and famous films of all time. Orson Welles' magnum opus remains a stunning cinematic achievement, and the title of the film itself has become a gener... Read full article

1001 Classic Movies: Citizen Kane

By Amanda Garrett on May 2, 2016 From Old Hollywood Films

Citizen Kane (1941), starring Orson Welles, is one of the 1001 classic movies you should see.
Each Monday, I'm going to recommend a classic movie you should see (for the reasons behind the 1001 series and reviews of earlier films covered go here). Throughout May, I'll celebrate the 75th anniversa... Read full article

Review: Citizen Kane (1941)

By 4 Star Film Fan on Mar 15, 2016 From 4 Star Films

“That’s all he ever wanted out of life… was love. That’s the tragedy of Charles Foster Kane. You see, he just didn’t have any to give.” – Jedediah Leyland It might seem rather trite to attempt to write anything on Citizen Kane, but as someone who can admitte... Read full article

Citizen Kane (1941) – Updated

By 4 Star Film Fan on Mar 15, 2016 From 4 Star Films

“That’s all he ever wanted out of life… was love. That’s the tragedy of Charles Foster Kane. You see, he just didn’t have any to give.” – Jedediah Leyland It might seem rather trite to attempt to write anything on Citizen Kane, but as someone who can admitte... Read full article

Bernstein:
Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Cornell, Switzerland... he was thrown out of a lot of colleges.

[On Kane finishing Leland's bad review of Susan's opera singing]
Thompson:
Everybody knows that story, Mr. Leland. But why did he do it? How could a man write a notice like that?
Leland:
You just don't know Charlie. He thought that by finishing that notice he could show me he was an honest man. He was always trying to prove something. The whole thing about Susie being an opera singer, that was trying to prove something. You know what the headline was the day before the election, "Candidate Kane found in love nest with quote, singer, unquote." He was gonna take the quotes off the singer.

For the new footage in the opening newsreel to look suitably grainy, editor Robert Wise came up with the idea of physically dragging the footage across a stone floor and running across a cheesecloth filled with sand. These efforts went unappreciated in some quarters: one cinema distributor contacted RKO to complain about the film stock being of inferior quality and demanded a replacement print.

Principal photography which began in late June 1940, finished just a few days over schedule on October 23. The movie was ready for release in February 1941. The controversy surrounding the film delayed its opening until 1 May 1941.

William Randolph Hearst was infuriated by this movie, obviously based on his life. According to an essay written for the New York Review of Books by Gore Vidal "Rosebud" was Hearst's name for long-time mistress Marion Davies' clitoris. But screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz insisted that he took the name from a bicycle he owned as a child.